annex Used as Quarantine Home for Students

The Annex, a former LU residential hall situated approximately two and a half miles from campus, reopened for quarantine purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the new semester commences, campus life is different, as COVID-related precautions are prominent – including social distancing, wearing masks, and readily available quarantine locations such as the Annex. 

The Annex, located on Odd Fellows Road, was previously used for off-campus residential housing before closing to students in 2017.

After spring break last semester, students could decide whether they would return to finish the semester or stay home. Junior David Montgomery decided to stay and was required to quarantine at the Annex for a two-week period. 

“My roommate got back from New York, one of the states where cases were spiking. Since he was my roommate, I was told I had to go to the Annex,” Montgomery said. “Me, my roommate and two other guys had to stay there for a couple of weeks.”

Fortunately, Montgomery and the others tested negative for the virus. 

Montgomery explained the setup in the Annex during his quarantine period. 

“The rooms were not as nice as the ones on campus, which is understandable because they had not been used in so long,” Montgomery said. “Each room had two desks, two beds, and two dressers, much like any Motel 6 but with Liberty University furniture.” 

Montgomery and the other students were all quarantined by themselves in different rooms.

“I passed the time by watching a lot of TV and studying,” Montgomery said. “The university gave us notice and told us to take whatever we needed because we were not going to be allowed out.” 

Montgomery chose to remain in Lynchburg to keep his family out of harm’s way.

“I am from Texas, so I decided to stay on campus during spring break,” Montgomery said. “My mom and my grandparents were all at high risk. I did not want to bring something back that could potentially harm them. The safest option for my family and I was for me to stay here and wait it out.” 

According to the housing section of Liberty’s COVID-19 response webpage, the Annex is still open for quarantine purposes for any student who has tested positive for COVID-19, or has come in contact with someone who has tested positive.

The rooms provide Wi-Fi for “maintaining academic progress” and three meals a day. Residence Life staff will deliver other necessities and maintain communication throughout the student’s quarantine. Those in quarantine will also be monitored by the Virginia Department of Health. 

Once students complete their two weeks of quarantine, they may return to their normal living quarters on campus to maintain the health and safety of the campus. 

Daniel Ellis is a Feature Writer. Follow him on Twitter at @dnaieltyler.